Dirk Nowitzki leads Dallas Mavericks past the Houston Rockets 90 – 81 – NBA Recap
The Dallas Mavericks picked up another victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, 90 – 81. Playing at the American Airlines Center, the Mavericks fell behind in the early stages of the game but completed their comeback after the interval, netting a memorable
win.
The Rockets looked strong at times, but their eventual loss frustrated coach Kevin McHale, whose side is pushing hard for a playoff berth.
"We weren't running and didn't have the zip that we needed, especially in that third quarter. I thought that first five minutes of that third quarter, if we could've gotten some juice and really gotten some run outs and gotten some baskets and gotten some
momentum, it would've been a different game."
Dirk Nowitzki was once again a shining light for the Mavericks, scoring team high 21 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. While Dirk played an important part, it was the Dallas bench that spurred the side to victory.
"Us bench guys came in and picked the team back up. That's what it is about, a whole team effort, and we came in and picked the guys up and kept going from there." Brandan Wright said after the game.
Wright scored 13 points and had 7 rebounds, fellow reserves Rodrigue Beaubois and Jason Terry also contributed with 14 and 12 points respectively.
Luis Scola led the way for Houston. Scola had 22 points, game high, as well as 8 rebounds. Goran Dragic scored 17 and had 7 assists while Chandler Parsons finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds.
Rockets were on fire right from the start, going on a 15 – 4 from jump ball to take control of the first quarter. The lead was stretched to 26 – 10 later, before the period came to an end at 30 – 19.
Dallas started their fight back in the second segment. The Mavericks bench came in and gave the team a lift, resulting in a 27 point quarter for the side. On the other hand, they were able to hold Houston to 19, meaning that at half time Dallas were just
behind, 49 – 46.
Mavericks carried the momentum past the interval. They were the better side in the important 3rd period. A 7 – 0 burst put them up 55 – 53, after which they seized control, ending the quarter at 69 – 61.
The final 12 minutes didn’t produce anything special. The Mavs were largely able to negotiate Houston’s attacks and ended the game comfortably at 91 – 80.
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